Method of providing tailor-made software for hospital departments

ABSTRACT

To provide tailor-made software for use in a specific department of a hospital, a software package suitable for use by more than one department of the hospital is provided including components implementing general tasks. Then, software is added implementing tasks which may be considered to extend the general tasks. This extension can be tailor-made for the specific department. In at least one embodiment, the software package includes both front end and back end software components, front end components reacting to user inputs and calling up back end software components, and the extension may be both at the front end and at the back end side.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a method of providingsoftware which is tailor-made for being used in a specific department ofan organization having more than one department. At least one embodimentof the invention is in particular designed for software for hospitaldepartments.

Embodiments of the invention also generally relate to a storage mediumon which program code is stored. At least one embodiment relates tosoftware, in particular for a hospital, comprising several portions ofwhich in different departments of a hospital some are made use of andothers not.

BACKGROUND ART

A hospital may have different departments such as radiology, cardiology,and oncology. The work done by physicians and their staff in thesedepartments differs according to the kind of department. Since softwarehas to support that work, up to now for each kind of hospital departmentspecific software packages are provided. They may have been provided bydifferent provider firms such that they are possibly incompatible onewith another. The manner how to use the software may differ from onedepartment to another, for example different commands may have to beinput in similar situations, therefore for staff working in differentdepartments, the handling of the software would prove to be difficult.Moreover, the software packages for each department has to be stored forexample on a particular server in the department, taking storage placewhich has to be obtained at high costs. The software has be installedand regularly updated, such that particular IT personnel has to beinstalled and regularly updated, and further such that particular ITpersonnel is needed for each department.

Despite different work being done by the physicians in differentdepartments of a hospital, some departments have also in common thatparticular steps have to be performed. For example in many departments,if not in each department, the physician has to deal with images. Thesehave to be stored and administrated, they have to be viewed and perhapscommented on in a particular comment file. Also, all departments of ahospital have in common that patient data have to be administrated. Whenproviding software packages, each performing similar steps such assupporting storing and viewing of images and administrating of patientdata, resources and time are wasted by not using synergies.

This is especially the case for the use of imaging systems, so-called“modalities”: Similar imaging systems may be used by differentdepartments. Imaging systems may be computer tomographs, magneticresonance imaging systems, angiography systems, molecular imagingsystems, ultrasound systems etc. A need for use of synergies may botharise, if different departments are provided with similar imagingsystems each, and if different departments use a particular imagingsystem in common. In both cases, the software must be able to deal withthe imaging systems, for example from a work station being placed in aparticular department. A difficulty resides in that for each departmentdifferent modalities may be used in different situations. In theradiology for example an x-ray imaging system might be in use forinspection of the bones of a patient for being able to detect fracturesetc. In the cardiology, however, such x-ray system might be in usebasically for viewing the heart of a patient. Therefore, the differentdepartments cannot simply use all the same software. Particular softwareis needed for particular situations, which might come up in particulardepartments.

What has been the above for imaging systems, is also true for theadministration of patient data. Here, on the one hand, it is desirableto centralize a task of administrating patient data, for example towrite all information about a single patient obtained in differentdepartments into a single file. However, different kinds of departmentsin hospital need different kinds of reports. The software has to supportthe physicians in a manner tailor-made for the particular department,when the physician is writing a report on the patient books.

SUMMARY

What is therefore needed, as recognized by the present inventors, istailor-made software for different departments of a hospital, but in away using synergy effects and causing less organizational and financialeffort than in the prior art.

Therefore, at least one embodiment of the present invention providessoftware tailor-made for use in a specific department of an organizationhaving a plurality of departments.

At least one embodiment of the invention further provides a possibilityto make use of software implementing a particular task (application) andat the same time supplementing such software, in order to extend thetask, wherein such extension might be made according to severalpossibilities, for example for different departments of a hospital apossibility each.

At least one embodiment of the present invention provides thepossibility to call up computer programs, in particular tasks, by othercomputer programs, such that software components implementing thesetasks might be organized in an optimum manner and might be supplementedin a tailor-made manner for different departments of an hospital.

At least one embodiment of the invention provides a storage medium onwhich program code is stored offering the possibility to providesoftware tailor-made for different departments of a hospital without theneed for providing the entire program code to all hospital departmentsat the same time.

In at least one embodiment, disclosed is a method of providing softwaretailor-made for use in a specific department of an organization having aplurality of departments is provided, comprising the steps of providinga software package suitable for use in a plurality of departments of theorganization. The software package comprises both front end and back endsoftware components. A front end software component might becharacterized in that it reacts to a user input provided via a userinterface, i.e. when being run on a processor, performs at least oneprogram step dependent on such user input. A back end software componentmay be characterized in that it is caused to be run to perform programsteps by being called up in a program step performed by a front endsoftware component. One back end software component may be called up bydifferent front end software components. The method comprises thefurther step of adding at least one further front end software componentor of adding at least one further back end software component or ofadding both of such to the software package. Such added softwarecomponent shall be tailor-made for use in the specific department, inparticular for use together with at least one software component for thesoftware package. This means that the further software component is notsimply isolated, but cooperates with the software already provided inthe basic software package.

By at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible toconstruct a software package (i.e. to program corresponding programcode) allowing for the running of programs performing steps needed in atleast two of the departments. Such software code does therefore not needto be programmed more than once, namely for each department. Rather, thesoftware package can be centralized. The particular tailor-shaping ofthe department software is performed by providing the further softwarecomponent. This further software component does not need to be able toperform all necessary steps for particular need alone. Rather, thefurther software component added can, when being run on a processor,cooperate with other software components being run, namely those of acentralized software package. Therefore, the further software componentis a supplement to the already existing software in the softwarepackage. One might say that a further software component iscomplementing the software package from the viewpoint of a particulardepartment. From the viewpoint of another department, other furthersoftware components may be provided to complement the software package.The further software components needed for one department need not beadded when providing software tailor-made for another department. Thismeans that on the servers of the departments, no program code is storedwhich is not needed by these departments themselves.

Not any kind of a component allows for an extension in the presentlydesired manner. In an example embodiment of the invention, the front endsoftware comprises a container software component implementing acontainer. The definition of a container is that it is responsible forgenerating tasks. Tasks are generated by instantiating at least onesoftware component, wherein the “recipe” how to build the task is readby the container from a task configuration file. In the exampleembodiment, a particular task configuration file structure is defined.The container is able to read any task configuration file which has beenmade up according to the structure and to use such task configurationfile to instantiate a corresponding at least one task component, whengenerating a task.

The kind of container provided in the example embodiment implements anovel conception, since prior art containers are not able to readarbitrary task configuration files. Rather, prior art containers wereadapted to particular tasks and were not able to generate other tasks.Having provided the container, the step of adding, in the exampleembodiment, comprises adding a task component for a specific task as afront end software component as well as a task component file for thespecific task. The task component file shall be provided according tothe particular task configuration file structure which the container ofthe software package is able to deal with. Providing a taskconfiguration file according (in line) to the structure does notnecessarily imply building up a task configuration file with allpossible structure components. Rather, the particular task configurationfile structure may be dividable into portions, for example a front endand a back end portion, and a particular task component file added mightbe built according to one of these portions only. The container in thesoftware package will then be able to check portion for portion if thestructure is realized in the task component file and skip those portionswhich are not realized.

In a further example embodiment the following features are providedwhich also may be provided together with a example embodiment describedabove. With the example embodiment described above related to the frontend software components the present example embodiment relates to theback end software components. These shall comprise: At least one objectcomponent and a configuration file comprising the name of all objectcomponents, both object components and configuration file being providedfor a particular task. Furthermore, the back end software componentscomprise a software component for instantiating configuration files,namely the configuration file mentioned above, to obtain an interfacerepository. An interface repository is the instantiated version of theconfiguration file. The instantiated version of the back end softwarecomponent, i.e. a back end software component when being run on aprocessor, can then read information relating to the object componentsfrom the interface repository.

The conception of the use of an interface repository allows for the stepof adding components providing further object components and writing thename of these further object components (and, possibly, furtherinformation) into the configuration file. It is to be noted in thisexample embodiment, the software package comprises software components,namely the object components, for a particular task which aresupplemented by the further object components added to tailor-shape thesoftware for a particular department. Nothing more than writing the nameof a further object component into the configuration file needs to bedone, and the particular task is automatically generated in an extendedversion, since the software component for instantiating will know fromthe interface repository which further object components are available.

In a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a methodof providing software tailor-made for a hospital department is provided,comprising the steps of providing front end and back end software. Frontend software is software comprising components implementing tasks whichcall up components in the back end software. The method comprises addingat least one specific front end software component to extend a task in amanner tailor-made for the hospital department. In this aspect, theinvention enables to provide a particular task suitable for use in morethan one hospital department and to let that task run in an extended andthereby particularly adapted version. The task implemented by thenon-specific components might even have an ancillary function vis-à-visthe specific component. For example, the specific component implementsthe task of imaging the heart of a patient and might be using generalimaging tasks as a precondition but in an ancillary role.

In the further aspect of an embodiment of the invention, an exampleembodiment includes the step of adding at least one specific back endsoftware component to which one specific front end software componentcorresponds in a manner that program code that the correspondingextended task generated by using both non-specific and the correspondingspecific front end software component calls up the added specific backend software component. In the example embodiment, a software istherefore supplemented on its two levels, front end and back end, in amanner that the added software on the two levels is related, onecomponent to the other.

In a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention a storagemedium (such as a computer readable medium for example) is provided withprogram code stored thereon. The program code is provided in the form offront end and back end components. At least one front end component,when run on a processor, is able to call up a back end component. Boththe front end and back end component comprise general componentsimplementing a general task for use in a hospital. For at least onegeneral task, there are department components provided, namely fordifferent hospital departments. These department components allow forspecifically extending the corresponding general task in a tailor-mademanner for each of the different hospital departments.

When having the need for software in a particular department, one cancopy the general components for the general task and the departmentcomponents for the particular department. Those department componentsfor other departments are not needed. The storage medium may compriseall software needed anywhere in a hospital. However, those portions ofthe software have to be installed in a particular department whichrender the software tailor-made for this department. This means that onservers in the department, not the whole software for the hospital hasto be stored. This is in line with the inventive method.

On the storage medium there may be department front end components anddepartment back end components which are related to each other. Therelationship may reside in the department front end component comprisingprogram code which serves to call up, when the code is run on aprocessor, the department back end component. In other words, theextended task made up by a general front end component and theparticular department front end component makes use of special softwareon the back end side for the same department.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following an example embodiment of the invention is describedwith reference to the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a scheme of software which serves to illustrate a methodaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention provides a conception of how software maybe used in different departments of a hospital. The conception is basedon using a common software package by all departments and of usingsupplementary software in each department. Both the software of thecommon software package and the supplementary software may be divided infront end and back end software.

The common software package is indicated at 10 in FIG. 1. It comprisesprogram code packets (software components) on the front end side of thecommon software package 10 which implement particular applications(which correspond to tasks).

A first application 12 is a viewer application and is responsible forassisting a user placed in a department of the hospital in viewingimages obtained by imaging system. Application 12 is placed in thecommon software package 10, because in a plurality of departments of ahospital, if not in all departments, patient images have to be viewed.

In addition to the mere viewing, the patient images have to be handledby more than one department. Therefore, the common software package 10comprises an application 14 which is a browser application responsiblefor assisting a user in browsing for images in a database. The browserapplication 14 may call up the viewer application 12, if the user haschosen a particular image and desires to view same.

A further application in the common software package 10 is anadministration application 16. This application is shared by alldepartments, because all departments of a hospital have to administratepatient data.

Common software package 10 further comprises a program code packet, i.e.a software component which is called a container 18. Container 18 isresponsible for mapping program code from a permanent storage, such as aread only memory, to a main storage, such as a random access memory.This mapping serves to generate a particular task such as applications12, 14, or 16. For being able to generate a task, container 18 reads atask configuration file. Presently, container 18 is able to read anytask configuration file provided it is formed according to thepredetermined structure. This structure is defined in the container 18and container 18, when reading the task configuration file, looks atwhich content of the task configuration file corresponds to a particularstructure element of the structure. For example the container firstlylooks for a front end component which might be used in a task. Then,container 18 looks for a back end component which might be used in atask. In the configuration file, then, first the front end componentsand then the back end components have to be indicated.

Once mapped by container 18 into the main storage, in order to be run,applications 12, 14, and 16 may call up other software components, inparticular software components representing particular tasks. Thesoftware components called up are back end software components. One backend software component 20 implements the task of assisting a user inacquiring images with an imaging system. This task makes use of adatabase 22 comprising examination protocols. These comprise informationof which steps an imaging system has to perform in a particularsituation, i.e. for particular needs.

A second back end software component 24 implements the task ofadministration indexing structures used for indexing of images andenabling a search for images. The structures make use of the DICOMStandard Structure, wherein DICOM stands for “Digital Imaging andCommunications in Medicine”. The indices are stored in database 26.

A further back end software component 28 implements the task of makingup reports. This task makes use of a report data model stored indatabase 30. The report data model provides information on what amedical report has to look like. Task 28 then assists a user inpreparing a report having the structure needed.

A still further back end software component 32 implements the task ofmanaging a work flow in a hospital. It should be noted that in ahospital a patient is very often transferred from one department toanother, wherein in each department a plurality of examinationprocedures is performed. The task represented by component 32 istherefore responsible for coordinating running applications, inparticular applications running in different departments of a hospital.Component 32 is divided into two subcomponents 32.1 and 32.2.

Subcomponent 32.1 is responsible for administrating information on thepatient, for example the time at which the patient is to be visited bythe doctors, individual data of the patient and which orders have beenattributed to the patient. This information administrated bysubcomponent 32.1 is stored in database 34.

Subcomponent 32.2 is responsible for administrating task flows, whereinthese task flows are stored in a database 36.

All of the back end software components implement tasks that can inprinciple be extended. In the present example, components 28 andsubcomponents 32.1 and 32.2 have been chosen for extension. This isrepresented by extension points 35 schematically representing thepossibility for extension.

In the present case, the software package 10 comprises a particularsoftware component 36 (somehow corresponding to container 18 of thefront end side) which is responsible for instantiating configurationfiles for particular software components. Configuration files for backend software components 20, 24, 28, 32 are indicated at 120, 124, 128,132, respectively. Software component 36 therefore maps theconfiguration files from a permanent storage to a main storage, therebycreating what we presently call an interface repository. When the taskis run, it may read out from the interface repository informationregarding particular components (objects). In particular, a task canobtain information from the interface repository on the particularinterface configured corresponding to an object. One component may havemore than one interface, and all interfaces are indicated in theinterface repository.

The software package 10 having the above-mentioned features is suited tobe used by all departments of a hospital. Software package 10 can bestored on a server in each department, but may also be stored on acentral server in the hospital to which workstations in all departmentsmay have access.

In the following, it is explained how software tailor-made for aparticular department may be provided. As described above, container 18on the front end side is able to read task configuration files having apredetermined structure. Therefore, it is possible to add further tasks,thereby extending existing tasks. The tasks are added both at the frontend and the back end side. Those tasks added at the front end side serveto assist a user in providing particular inputs.

Each hospital department differs in the particular task flows needed.Therefore, a front end software component 38 is added implementing thetask of choosing task flows which are needed in the particulardepartment only.

A further front end software component 40 is added implementing a taskassisting a user to input, view and amend patient informationspecifically needed in the particular department.

Furthermore, a front end software component 42 is added implementing thetask to write, view and amend medical reports which are specific for theparticular department.

For each imaging system needed in the particular department andrepresented by a symbol indicated at 44, particular front end softwarecomponents 46 a, 46 b, 46 c are provided. These front end softwarecomponents represent tasks allowing for control of the correspondingimaging system 44 according to a particular protocol. The reason forthis is that a particular department needs particular information whichis to be obtained by particular imaging. For example, if the particulardepartment is the cardiology, it is needed to image the heart of apatient. The particular steps to be performed by the imaging system(modality) are provided by front end software components 46 a, 46 b, 46c.

Also, on the back end side, particular software is added to tailor-shapethe software system as a whole for a particular department. Presently,software components may be added (so-called provider objects), and whenadding such provider objects, an information on these objects is writteninto the configuration file of the task extended by these objects.Software components 36 will then cause information on the added providerobjects to be present in the interface repository created.

One of the back end software components added is back end softwarecomponent 48 extending back end software component 32.2. Whilst 32.2 isresponsible for creating work flows, the extension allows for creationof work flows specific to the particular department. Database 36 isextended by provision of database 50 in which task flows specific forthe particular department are stored.

Back end software component 52 is added to extend back end softwarecomponent 32.1. Whilst back end software component 32.1 is responsiblefor administrating information needed by all departments, back endsoftware component 52 allows for administrating information specificallyneeded in the particular department. In cardiology, for example,information concerning the heart of a patient is needed. Database 54extends database 34 and comprises specific information.

A further back end software component 56 is added to extend softwarecomponent 28. Whilst back end software component 28 is responsible formaking up and storing reports, back end software component 56 allows foruse of a report scheme specifically needed in the particular department.For example in cardiology, specific medical reports relating to thepatient's heart are created. Database 58 extends database 30 and storessuch specific reports.

In the following, it is exemplarily explained how tailor-made softwaremight be used.

When a patient comes into a particular department of a hospital oneusually starts with obtaining images of the patient by using aparticular imaging system 44. Software component 20 assists the operatorof the imaging system in performing particular steps. An operator maystart by obtaining images of the kind also used in other departments andmay therefore rely on back end software component 20 only. However, oneof the front end software components 46 a, 46 b, 46 c is tailor-made forusing the particular imaging system 44 in the particular department.This means that the operator is enabled to obtain images specificallyneeded in the hospital department.

Once the images are acquired, post-processing starts. Back end softwarecomponent 24 is responsible for indexing the images obtained and storingthe index in database 26. Thereafter, the images can be browsed byapplication 14. This post-processing is not specific for the particulardepartment.

Having viewed the images by use of application 12, the physician hasmade up his diagnosis. The physician has to make a medical reportcomprising what has been done and the diagnosis. Back end softwarecomponent 28 assists the physician in this undertaking. Those componentsthe report may have to have in the particular department are comprisedunder assistance of added back end software component 56.

Once the report has been made up, a department-specific informationsystem is called up. This is provided by added back end softwarecomponent 52 under assistance of back end software component 32.1. Otherkinds of workflows can be run through each time at least some of thesteps being supported both by software components from the softwarepackage 10 and added software components.

The software package 10 may comprise other software components thanthose described above which also perform other tasks. Also, additionalsoftware components can be provided in particular for additional tasks.Other software components than those described above may be added, bothat the front end and the back end side. Also, some of the furthersoftware components described above may be omitted.

The common software package 10 is able to be extended. Presently on thefront end, container 18 allows for extending the front end and the useof an interface repository allows for extending the back end.

Other solutions how the conception of adding tailor-made software for ahospital department to a common software package may be construed andfall under the scope of the appended claims.

Further, elements and/or features of different example embodiments maybe combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within thescope of this disclosure and appended claims.

Still further, any one of the above-described and other example featuresof the present invention may be embodied in the form of an apparatus,method, system, computer program, computer readable medium and computerprogram product. For example, of the aforementioned methods may beembodied in the form of a system or device, including, but not limitedto, any of the structure for performing the methodology illustrated inthe drawings.

Even further, any of the aforementioned methods may be embodied in theform of a program. The program may be stored on a computer readablemedium or storage medium and is adapted to perform any one of theaforementioned methods when run on a computer device (a device includinga processor). Thus, the storage medium or computer readable medium, isadapted to store information and is adapted to interact with a dataprocessing facility or computer device to execute the program of any ofthe above mentioned embodiments and/or to perform the method of any ofthe above mentioned embodiments.

The computer readable medium or storage medium may be a built-in mediuminstalled inside a computer device main body or a removable mediumarranged so that it can be separated from the computer device main body.Examples of the built-in medium include, but are not limited to,rewriteable non-volatile memories, such as ROMs and flash memories, andhard disks. Examples of the removable medium include, but are notlimited to, optical storage media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs;magneto-optical storage media, such as MOs; magnetism storage media,including but not limited to floppy disks (trademark), cassette tapes,and removable hard disks; media with a built-in rewriteable non-volatilememory, including but not limited to memory cards; and media with abuilt-in ROM, including but not limited to ROM cassettes; etc.Furthermore, various information regarding stored images, for example,property information, may be stored in any other form, or it may beprovided in other ways.

Example embodiments being thus described, it will be obvious that thesame may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regardedas a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, andall such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art areintended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

List of References

-   10 software package-   12 front end software component-   14 front end software component-   16 front end software component-   18 front end software component-   20 back end software component-   22 database-   24 back end software component-   26 database-   28 back end software component-   30 database-   32 back end software component-   32.1 subcomponent-   32.2 subcomponent-   34 database-   36 Software component-   38 front end software component-   40 software component-   42 front end software component-   44 imaging system-   46 a front end software component-   46 b front end software component-   46 c front end software component-   48 back end software component-   50 Database-   52 back end software component-   54 Database-   56 Software component-   58 Database-   120 configuration file-   124 configuration file-   128 configuration file-   132.1 configuration file-   132.2 configuration file

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing software for administratingthe work flow of an apparatus used in a hospital, the method comprising:providing a software package configured for use in a plurality ofdepartments of the hospital, the software package including at least onefront end software component and at least one back end softwarecomponent, the the at least one front end software component and the theat least one back end software component include code segmentsconfigured to be executed by a processor, performing, by the processor,at least one task associated with the at least one front end softwarecomponent in response to a user input provided via a user interface;performing, by the processor, at least one task associated with the atleast one back end software component in response to a call from the atleast one front end software component; and adding, by the processor, atleast one further software component including at least one furtherfront end software component and at least one further back end softwarecomponent, to the provided software package, the at least one furthersoftware component being configured to implement at least one task thatis specific to one of the plurality of departments of the hospital. 2.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: defining, by theprocessor, a task configuration file structure, wherein the at least onefront end software component includes a container software componentincluding code segments configured to be executed by the processor andto cause the processor to implement the container software component,the container software component being configured to generate tasks, thecontainer software component is configured to read any taskconfiguration file according to the task configuration file structureand to use the task configuration file to instantiate a corresponding atleast one task component during task generation, and the at least onetask that is specific to one of the departments includes a taskcomponent for a specific task of the at least one further front endsoftware component and a task configuration file for the specific task,the task configuration file being provided according to the taskconfiguration file structure.
 3. The method according to claim 2,wherein the at least one front end software component includes at leastone task component implementing at least one general task associatedwith at least two of the plurality of departments, the at least onegeneral task including at least one of, a task of providing visibleimages to a user, a task of searching the visible images, and a task ofadministrating patient data, and the task component that is for thespecific task being a supplement to and suitable for being instantiatedtogether with the at least one task component of the software package,the specific task component being configured to provide an extendedversion of the at least one general task, the extended version of the atleast one general task being specific to one of the at least two of theplurality of departments.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at leastone back end software component includes: for at least one particulartask, at least one object component and a configuration file including aname of all object components for the one particular task, and asoftware component including code segments configured to be executed bythe processor and to cause the processor to instantiate theconfiguration file to obtain an interface repository such that the atleast one back end software component reads information relating to theobject components therefrom, wherein the adding at least one furthersoftware component includes providing further object components andwriting the name of the further object components into the configurationfile.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the object component and theconfiguration file are provided for at least one general task associatedwith at least two of the plurality of hospital departments, a taskassociated with of indexing images and of storing indices in a datafile, and a task associated with providing for coordination of othertasks, and the further object components are a supplement for andsuitable to be instantiated together with at least one object componentof the software package, thereby being configured to provide an extendedversion of the at least one general task, the extended version of the atleast one general task being specific to one of the at least twohospital departments.
 6. A method of providing software made for ahospital department from among a plurality of hospital departments, themethod comprising: providing, by a processor, at least one front endsoftware component, the at least one front end software componentincluding at least one task component implementing at least one generaltask associated with the plurality of hospital departments; providing,by the processor, at least one back end software component such that theat least one of the back end software component includes code segmentsconfigured to be executed by the processor in response to a call fromthe at least one front end software component; and adding at least onefurther front end software component to provide an extended version ofthe at least one front end software component, the extend version beingspecific to one of the plurality of hospital departments.
 7. The methodof claim 6, further comprising adding at least one further back endsoftware component, wherein, the at least one further front end softwarecomponent includes program code segments such that a correspondingextended task calls the at least one back end software component.
 8. Anon-transitory storage medium on which program code is stored, theprogram code including, at least one front end component, and at leastone back end component, wherein the at least one of the front endcomponent includes code segments configured to be executed by aprocessor and configured to call the at least one back end component,the at least one front end component includes at least one general frontend component and at least one further front end component, the at leastone general front end component being configured to implement at leastone general task associated with a plurality of hospital departments,and the at least one further front end component being configured toimplement at least one specific task that is specific to one of theplurality of hospital departments, and the at least one back endcomponent includes at least one general back end component and at leastone further back end component, the at least one general back endcomponent being configured to implement at least one general taskassociated with the plurality of hospital departments, and the at leastone further back end component being configured to implement at leastone specific task that is specific to one of the plurality of hospitaldepartments, the at least one back end component being executed by theprocessor in response to the call.
 9. The storage medium according toclaim 8, wherein for at least one hospital department, the processorstores, on the storage medium, both a department-specific front endcomponent and a department-specific back end component, and thedepartment-specific front end component includes program code segmentsconfigured to be executed by the processor and to call thedepartment-specific back end component.